Empowering farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions since 1981

Home

Farmworker Justice is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice.

Featured Blog

As a reminder, there are various opportunities to comment in response to Federal Register notices related to the H-2A program, with deadlines next week. As mentioned in previous updates, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued notices of proposed rulemaking regarding the requirements for recruiting U.S. workers by employers seeking certification in both the H-2A and H-2B temporary guestworker visa programs. The deadline for submitting comments for both notices is now December 28 (it was previously December 10 but was extended).

Florida H-2A Labor Contractor Fined for Violation of Program Requirements

Florida H-2A labor contractor SOL Harvesting LLC was recently fined $53,428 by the Department of Labor (DOL)’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Among various violations of the H-2A program requirements, DOL WHD found that SOL Harvesting failed to provide employees copies of their work contracts and reimburse them for transportation and visa fees. Workers also were not provided with housing that met minimum safety and health standards. The bulk of the amount paid by the contractor constituted back wages, as DOL only assessed a civil money penalty of $2,368 for the H-2A program violations. SOL Harvesting had hired approximately 100 workers to harvest cucumbers, cabbage, kale and onions at Scott’s Farms in Mt. Dora, Florida. To our knowledge the farm operator was not penalized and the labor contractor has not been debarred from the H-2A program.

USDA Releases Report on Farm Labor Markets in the U.S. and Mexico

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Economic Research Service (ERS) recently released a report entitled “Farm Labor Markets in the United States and Mexico Pose Challenges for U.S. Agriculture.” The report finds that the U.S. farm labor market is showing signs of tightening, including increases in farm wages, more widespread use of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program, and a shrinking supply of farm labor from Mexico. Among the potential options for employers to respond to a tighter labor market proposed by the study are raising wages, improving benefits and working conditions, increased mechanizing of crops, switching to less labor-intensive crops and greater employment of guestworkers. The report emphasizes guestworker status as a mechanism for recruiting future farmworkers, rather than offering potential agricultural workers, or current undocumented workers, the opportunity to adjust their immigration status or have a path to U.S. citizenship.

Various Appropriations Bills Expire December 21, Government Shutdown Possible

In addition, as we reported in the last update, there are efforts to freeze wage rates in the H-2A program by keeping the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) at the 2018 levels instead of allowing the expected 2019 rates to go into effect. These efforts are aimed at Congress and the appropriations process as well as the Administration. The 2019 hourly wages are expected to increase approximately 6% nationwide, with higher increases for some states. Failing to implement the AEWR – which would effectively lower H-2A wage rates in most areas around the country in 2019 – would adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. Farmworkers’ wages are among the lowest in the nation. Farmworker Justice opposes these efforts to freeze the AEWRs in the H-2A program.

Support This Publication and the Work of Farmworker Justice

The policy monitoring, analysis and advocacy of Farmworker Justice serves the farmworker community. Farmworker-serving organizations throughout the nation count on Farmworker Justice. And Farmworker Justice counts on you for your support to make our work possible. Please make a charitable contribution to Farmworker Justice, in any amount. You may donate with a credit card online or mail your donation to Farmworker Justice, 1126 16th St., NW, Suite LL-101, Washington, D.C. 20036. Thank you!

Update on Farmworker Health and Safety

FJ Issue Brief on Specialty Care for Farmworkers

Farmworker Justice recently published a new issue brief for health centers and clinicians that outlines the continuing challenges in providing specialty care to agricultural workers and their families. The brief discusses lessons learned from FJ’s “Unidos” project - a collaborative effort between FJ and two community partners: Campesinos Sin Fronteras and Vista Community Clinic - to deliver dermatological care to agricultural workers in Somerton, Arizona and Vista, California. The brief also explores opportunities for telehealth, based on a related effort with Harvard’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI) that involved workers directly in discussions about telehealth interventions. Based on lessons learned, the brief highlights recommendations for health centers to promote access to specialty care among agricultural workers and their families.

A recently published study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that agriculture accounts for more than half of child worker deaths, with 237 fatalities between 2003 and 2016. The study was requested by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (CT) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA) as an update to GAO’s 2002 child labor report. In a statement on the report’s release, the Representatives noted: “This report confirms that child labor is contributing to a devastating amount of fatalities in the United States – disproportionately so in the agricultural sector. In that industry, kids are often exposed to dangerous pesticides, heavy machinery, and extreme heat, and they are being killed as a result. That is unacceptable. Our government must take these findings as a call to action […].” The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which regulates child labor, allows children to be employed in agricultural jobs, including in hazardous tasks, at younger ages than in other occupations. Rep. Roybal-Allard has been a leader in efforts to end the discrimination in the law regarding child labor on industrialized farms. You can find the full GAO report, entitled “Working Children: Federal Injury Data and Compliance Strategies Could Be Strengthened,” here.

Congress Passes Farm Bill, No PRIA Language Included

Last week, both chambers of Congress passed the Farm Bill, which is expected to be signed into law by the President later this week. Originally, the House and Senate versions of the bill were very different, particularly with regard to provisions on nutrition and environmental protection programs. The final bill did not include controversial cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that were in the original House bill and preserved many important environmental protection programs.

The final Farm Bill did not include language regarding the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA). Earlier this year, the Senate passed a standalone version of PRIA conserving key provisions of two rules protecting farmworkers from pesticide exposure - the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and Certification of Pesticide Applicators (CPA) rule. FJ, along with other farmworker and environmental advocates, is calling on the House to pass this version of PRIA before the end of the legislative term.

Judge Issues Ruling against ACA in Texas v. United States

On December 14, a federal judge in Texas ruled the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional after the elimination of the tax penalty in the 2017 tax bill. In his ruling, Judge Reed O'Connor wrote that the individual mandate could not be severed from the rest of the ACA, rendering the law unconstitutional. The lawsuit was led by Texas and 19 other states. California, along with 16 other states and Washington, DC, intervened to defend the ACA in court after the Trump Administration declined to defend key provisions of the law. Attorney General Xavier Becerra of California said that they will challenge the ruling. If the Judge's decision stands, an estimated 17 million Americans could lose their health insurance, including those who gained coverage under Medicaid expansion. The ACA’s pre-existing conditions protections, along with other consumer protections in the law, would also no longer exist.

The ACA remains in effect as the appeals process moves forward. While open enrollment for insurance plans on healthcare.gov ended on December 15, enrollment in some states, including California and New York, continues. A Kaiser Family Foundation health poll conducted in November found that 61% of surveyed consumers did not know the deadline for enrollment. While final enrollment numbers are not yet available, so far, enrollment has declined compared to last year.

New Guidance for Section 1332 Waivers

The Trump Administration released new guidance for Section 1332 waivers that will provide states with flexibility that could ultimately weaken certain ACA provisions. Section 1332 innovation waivers, issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), allow states to experiment with strategies to provide residents with health coverage. Guidance released in 2015 provided a strict interpretation of statutory guardrails that will affect consumers. The new guidance, published in October 2018, establishes less restrictive standards such as expanded definitions of coverage to include short-term plans and encouraging states to use private exchanges to offer subsidies for non-ACA-compliant plans. More information about this guidance can be found on the Kaiser Family Foundation website. The new guidance is currently open for public comment until December 24. If you are interested in learning more, you can read this analysis by Families USA.

Over 200,000 Comments Submitted on Public Charge Proposal

Thank you to everyone who shared and submitted comments opposing the Administration's proposed changes to public charge. According to regulations.gov, over 216,000 comments were submitted and we expect that number to grow. FJ will continue to provide any relevant information on public charge and farmworkers. Visit the Protecting Immigrant Families website to learn more about the campaign, led by NILC and CLASP, and future advocacy efforts.

In a November 28 letter to Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) asked for “short-term relief” from the federal government from the expected Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for H-2A workers. On November 15, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released a report showing the average wages paid to nonsupervisory field and livestock workers for 2018. As stated in the current regulations, the 2019 AEWR will be these wage rates. Based on the data, hourly wages would increase approximately 6% nationwide, with higher increases for some states. The NCAE refers to the AEWR as a “premium wage;” however, this term is fundamentally and disingenuously wrong as the AEWR is merely the average wage paid to nonsupervisory field and livestock workers as determined by USDA’s farm labor survey. By definition, an average means that some employers pay more than the average wage. One would expect that an employer truly facing a labor shortage would seek to attract U.S. workers by offering more than the average wage, and yet the H-2A program allows employers to demonstrate a labor shortage merely by offering the average.

Failing to implement the AEWR – which would effectively lower H-2A wage rates in most areas around the country in 2019 – would adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. Farmworkers’ wages are among the lowest in the nation, but by several measures have been increasing modestly in the last few years. In California, a wage freeze would keep the AEWR at $13.18 (which was the 2018 AEWR based on 2017 USDA surveys), instead of rising to $13.92. In North Carolina and Virginia, the rate would be frozen at $11.46 per hour, instead of rising in 2019 to $12.25. In Idaho (and Montana and Wyoming), the freeze would keep wages at $11.63 per hour instead of rising to $13.48. In Florida, the freeze would stop a slight drop of 5 cents per hour. There is a long history of regulation and litigation regarding the AEWR, and we anticipate that Farmworker Justice and others would litigate against the Administration if it attempts to undermine U.S. farmworkers’ wages by lowering H-2A program wage rates.

Earlier this month, California agricultural company Fresh Harvest Inc., agreed to pay $1 million in back wages to farmworkers under a settlement agreement. Fresh Harvest, which is a component of the Scaroni Family of Companies, bills itself as one of the largest H-2A employers in the Western United States. The agreement was the result of a lawsuit filed by the United Farm Workers (UFW) and California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA), which sought unpaid wages for workers’ uncompensated travel and waiting time, as well as damages for violations of state and federal labor law. Workers’ travel to and from work sites averaged two or more hours each day and workers additionally had various wait times beyond their control, for which they were not compensated. Workers were also retailed against after cooperating with an investigation of one of the company’s crew leaders. The settlement agreement will likely be finalized in December.

Farmworker Group Alleges Targeting by ICE Due to Activism

On November 14, worker rights’ group Migrant Justice filed a lawsuit claiming the group has been targeted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an attempt to suppress its activism. The lawsuit was brought by the ACLU of Vermont, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, the National Immigration Law Center and a private law firm. At least 20 members of Migrant Justice have been arrested and detained by ICE in the past five years. The lawsuit claims that these arrests were “part of a pattern of ICE expending significant resources to target, surveil and detain immigrant activists and leaders across the country in response to their protected political speech and activity.” Migrant Justice, based in Vermont, is known for its Milk with Dignity campaign and support of immigrant farmworkers.

President Trump Threatens to Shut Down Government over Border Wall Funding

While fires ravaged California in the past few weeks, many farmworkers were pressured to continue working among the dangerous conditions, often without protective equipment. State law requires employers to provide protective gear as well as train employees on how to use the gear effectively. However, according to local farmworker groups, only some employers complied with these obligations. Strawberry pickers in the region reported experiencing sore eyes, upset stomachs, headaches and dizziness as a result of the smoke. Approximately 36,000 farmworkers may have been exposed to the dangerous air caused by the wildfires. Many are undocumented and/or speak indigenous languages and may be hesitant to complain about safety violations for fear of retaliation.

Tragically, yet another dairy worker has died as a result of driving into a manure holding pit. The 22-year old farmworker in Ohio drowned after the skid steer he was driving went into the pit. As stated in this news article, working around manure storage areas has many potential dangers, which is why it is so important that workers be adequately trained to work safely in these areas and be aware of equipment hazards.

As a reminder, the Trump Administration recently published a proposed “public charge” rule that could further reduce immigrants’ access to essential nutrition and health services. Comments on the proposed rule are due on December 10. For more information on how the rule could affect farmworkers, please see Farmworker Justice’s fact sheet and template comments.

Today, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (DOL ETA) issued notices of proposed rulemaking regarding the recruitment requirements for the H-2 visa programs, both H-2A and H-2B. Farmworker Justice plans to draft comments on this proposal to ensure that recruitment protections for U.S. workers are not weakened. Comments are due December 10.

Last month, DOL ETA announced a proposed revision of the forms used for employer certification under the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program. The two forms being revised are Form ETA-9142A, which is the form employers use to apply for H-2A workers, and Form 790, which is the agricultural clearance order that contains job terms and instructions for job applicants. FJ will also draft comments for this rulemaking (the deadline for these comments is December 24).
Additionally, FJ is anticipating that, as announced in DOL’s fall regulatory agenda, there will be a broader set of proposed changes related to the H-2A program published in the coming months. FJ is deeply concerned that the anticipated changes could reduce critically important farmworker protections in the H-2A program. FJ will continue to monitor any administrative attempts to undo the current protections in the H-2A program.

USDA Proposed Changes to Farm Labor Survey Used in H-2A Program

Farmworker Justice submitted comments on November 8 to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding its proposal to make changes in its Agricultural Labor Survey (ALS), formerly known as the Farm Labor Survey. The ALS includes data from farm operators regarding the wages paid to farmworkers. Although there are shortcomings in the survey that limit is value, it provides helpful information. For many years the Department of Labor has set the H-2A program “adverse effect wage rates” for each state based on the ALS findings for average hourly earnings of the combined category of field and livestock workers. The proposed change in the survey regarding wage reporting contained vague and troubling language that could lead to understating farmworkers’ wage rates and artificially lowering the minimum wage rates required under the H-2A program. FJ therefore opposed some of the proposed revisions to the survey’s questions.

Two ballot measures increasing state minimum wages succeeded in the November 6 midterm election. The state of Arkansas voted to gradually increase its minimum wage from $8.50 an hour to $11 an hour within the next three years, while Missouri voters approved a gradual increase from $7.85 an hour to $12 an hour within the next five years, with further adjustments based on the consumer price index. However, some exemptions for particular agricultural businesses and farmworkers from the minimum laws in these states mean that some farmworkers will not benefit from these changes. There are exceptions in the state laws applicable specifically to agriculture that are similar to those in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including for small agricultural employers; livestock workers on the open range; family members of the farm operator; children under age 16 employed on piece rate; and for those farmworkers who are hired on piece-rates to do harvesting and worked in agriculture less than 13 weeks in a prior year.

Mixed Midterm Election Results

The November 6 midterm elections led to mixed results for Congress: Democrats were able to take control of the House, while Republicans deepened their control of the Senate. The prospects for progress on legislation that would benefit farmworkers remain very limited, but several proposals in the last Congress that threatened farmworkers’ employment rights and immigration status are not likely to proceed in this Congress. With Democrats assuming leadership roles in key House committees in January, they will be poised to conduct oversight over the President’s actions, as well as the policies of government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Labor (DOL), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Each party will also soon be selecting its internal party leadership. House GOP leadership elections are scheduled for November 14, with Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) competing for the role of minority leader. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has announced her campaign for Speaker of the House, the position she held when Democrats previously held the majority of House seats.

Government Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in DACA Cases As Program Continues

Earlier this week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) petitioned the Supreme Court to fast track these DACA cases. If the Supreme Court grants certiorari and decides to take the cases, the earliest a ruling could be expected is June 2019. If you or someone you know has DACA status which expires within the next 6 months, experts recommend that you consult with an immigration attorney and submit your renewal application. Unfortunately, at this time, no first-time DACA applications are being accepted. You can learn more about the status of current DACA cases, as well as steps to take to renew your DACA status here.

Jeff Sessions No Longer Attorney General

On November 7, President Trump announced via Twitter that Jeff Sessions will no longer be serving as Attorney General, the highest post in the Department of Justice (DOJ), having been forced to resign immediately after the election. Matthew G. Whitaker, who was the Justice Department Chief of Staff, was appointed Acting Attorney General until a permanent replacement is confirmed. During his tenure as Attorney General, Sessions, a former Senator from Alabama, pursued a strenuous agenda antagonistic to immigrants, civil rights and liberties, and criminal justice reform.

A recently released report by Public Citizen and the Farmworker Association of Florida details the impact of heat stress on Florida workers. According to the report, farmworkers and construction workers are the highest risk populations, not just because of their exposure to heat, but also because of other factors, such as fear of immigration enforcement, which might make them less likely to voice health or safety concerns. The threat of heat illness is growing due to rising global temperatures. As mentioned in previous updates, FJ, along with Public Citizen and many others, is involved in a national campaign for a federal heat stress standard. If you are interested in supporting this campaign, please contact FJ’s Director of Occupational & Environmental Health, Virginia Ruiz, at [email protected].

Farmwork Among Fifteen Most Dangerous Jobs Based on Fatality and Injury Rates

A recent article ranks jobs based on occupational fatality and injury rates of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. It states that agricultural workers (separate from farmers) have the 11th most dangerous job while also having the lowest wages on the list of 15 most dangerous jobs. The article calculated that farmworkers are five times more likely to have a fatal injury than the average worker. The most common cause of fatal injury for most of the occupations, including farmworkers, was transportation accidents. The article may understate the dangers of agricultural work. The BLS data for 2016 by industry shows that the farming, fishing and forestry category had the highest rate of fatalities per 100,000 workers, at 23.2, over 6 times the 3.6 overall average rate. At a more detailed level, in crop production, the rate of fatalities per 100,000 workers was 20.9, higher than mining and construction and only slightly lower than transportation. The rate for animal production and aquaculture was 20.9.

Washington, D.C. – Farmworker Justice announced the appointment of David Damian Figueroa as Director of Development. Figueroa will be based in California’s Coachella Valley and will report to the national organization’s president, Bruce Goldstein. Figueroa will be charged with increasing partnerships with foundations, corporations, and philanthropists. He will also be responsible for enhancing Farmworker Justice’s, individual donor base, organizational capacity, and raising the visibility of the organization’s policy advocacy, impact litigation, training and education programs, and corporate responsibility initiatives.

“We are very pleased we have this opportunity to take advantage of David Damian’s many skills and resourcefulness. He is an accomplished innovator in philanthropy, non-profit communications, branding, and content marketing. He comes to Farmworker Justice with a background as a farmworker and a wealth of valuable experience and we are excited to have him as part of our senior team,” stated Goldstein.

Prior to joining Farmworker Justice, Figueroa was the AVP of Branding, Content Marketing and Strategic Alliances at Frontier Communications. He served at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) from 1998 to 2001 and rejoined the organization as Vice President of Development and Strategic Communications from 2009 to 2015. Figueroa served as Associate State Director of the Los Angeles County Region for AARP California from 2002 to 2009 where he oversaw the implementation of social campaigns, community alliances, volunteer management and membership development. Figueroa also helped launch AARP’s Segunda Juventud bilingual magazine in Los Angeles.

“I’m excited and honored to have the opportunity to work for Farmworker Justice at such a critical time in our country. In my youth, I spent most of my summers and many weekends working in the fields and orchards of southern Arizona. It is my intent to bring the hardship of the farmworker to light and work with the team and key partners to identify and implement high-impact solutions that benefit our nation’s farmworkers,” said Figueroa.

For the past 26 years, Figueroa has served as a philanthropic advisor to numerous celebrities. He specializes in forging meaningful relationships with celebrities with non-profit organizations to heighten awareness for social impact campaigns.

Partnering with actors/activists Eva Longoria, Forest Whitaker, and author Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), David Damian has brought greater focus to the farmworker issue, working as executive producer on the critically-acclaimed documentary Food Chains, which focused on the corporate food supply chain and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Fair Food Campaign. He was also was associate producer of The Harvest—The Children Who Feed America/La Cosecha—Los niños que alimentan America.

Prior to committing to service in the non-profit sector full-time, Figueroa achieved an influential role in the entertainment industry, fostering the success of clients including José José, El Show de Johnny Canales, Boyz II Men, Arista Latin, MCA Polygram, BMI Latin, Motown Latino, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, and India for RMM/Universal.

Founded in 1981, Farmworker Justice is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower farmworkers to improve their wages and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice. For more information, please visit www.farmworkerjustice.org

The House Appropriations Committee today, in the spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security, inserted a fundamental, substantive policy change to the H-2A temporary foreign agricultural worker program. The amendment would expand the scope of the H-2A program to allow H-2A visas to be issued without regard to whether the jobs are temporary or seasonal. Rep. Newhouse (R-WA) led this effort.

Farmworker Justice strongly supports the Fairness for Farm Workers Act introduced today in the Senate and the House by Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California and Representative Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona with numerous cosponsors. Farmworker Justice and our partners have been working with members of Congress on this important step toward treating agricultural workers with the respect they deserve.